Biographical details of Jock Higgins and information about b...
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1953.237.B7
Original Tape ID
Summary
Biographical details of Jock Higgins and information about burkers.
Jock Higgins was born in Elgin, and lived mostly in Aberdeen until moving to Blairgowrie eleven years before. He is 58 [at time of recording].
Jock heard stories of burkers when he was young. He describes the 'patch' as a pad with chloroform on it. There was a burker story supposed to be about Donald Reid, a strongman. The remains of the burkers' coach used to lie at the blacksmith's at Tulliemet, near Ballinluig. When Bella Higgins was a child living at Smiddycroft, Tulliemet, she played on the old burkers' coach. When the burkers were operating Bella used to hear their machine passing every night between twelve and one o'clock. The coach was caught in Perth at the dark arches by a chain of iron rings and taken to the blacksmith's at Tulliemet.
Item Subject/Person
Reid, Donald
Item Location
County - Perthshire
Parish - Logierait
Village/Place - Tulliemet
Language
Scots
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Fair